NEWARK, N.J. | Talent can trump tactics - something the Washington Capitals proved on the power play Tuesday night.
Thanks to three extra-man tallies and Michael Nylander’s first multigoal game in more than a year, the Caps defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 at Prudential Center to strengthen their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference.
“Our power play was great and stinky at the same time,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We never had possession of it, but we scored three goals. … We were opportunistic. I don’t think we were great.”
Washington’s win stopped an eight-game winning streak by New Jersey and gave the Caps 70 points - three more than the Devils.
For the second consecutive game, the Caps converted their first two power-play chances, but they couldn’t have been more different. The Devils had possession nearly as much as the Caps during the first power play.
But with the penalty time dwindling, Alexander Semin sent a pass from near the left circle to defenseman Mike Green, who crept in from the right point and snapped a shot into the top right corner of the net at 5:58. It was Green’s 16th goal of the season, which leads all NHL defensemen, and his 12th power-play marker, tying Alex Ovechkin for most on the team.
“I have great teammates who can pass the puck better than most guys in the league,” Green said. “Look at the pass Semin gave me. He didn’t even look at me - he just sauced it right on my tape, and I just had to go upstairs with it.”
The second power-play chance for the Caps was, in contrast, perfection. Nylander won a faceoff back to the left point to Green, who sent a pass to Ovechkin near the far post as he cut in from the right point. Ovechkin kicked the puck to his stick and then slipped a pass to Brooks Laich in front of the net, and Laich banged home an easy one-timer at 8:12 - four seconds after Jamie Langenbrunner went to the box for hooking Green.
Washington pushed its lead to three goals early in the second period. Scott Clemmensen stopped Eric Fehr’s shot from along the left wall, but Boyd Gordon knocked the puck away from the goalie, and his attempt from the side of the net ended up on Nylander’s stick for an easy tap-in.
After Langenbrunner sliced the Caps’ lead to one with a short-handed tally 41 seconds into third, Nylander added his second goal of the night at 10:59. He held the puck for several seconds along the right wall with his team on the power play. And when no other options developed as he inched toward the faceoff circle, he finally snapped a wrist shot that beat Clemmensen under his left arm.
“I am playing the same way, and the puck goes in this time,” Nylander said. “If you don’t score, sometimes you start to think about it too much. It goes in ups and downs, but I have to just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Nylander now has four goals in the past 10 games. His season total of 26 points is far off his typical pace, but the 36-year-old center now has eight points in the 10 contests since he was a healthy scratch Jan. 9 against Columbus. His last multigoal game came Dec. 29, 2007 against Ottawa.
“The last few games he’s picked it up, and that’s good,” Boudreau said. “If we can get Michael playing the way he is used to playing, that makes us a dangerous team offensively.”
The Caps played the final two periods without Viktor Kozlov, who didn’t return after the first intermission because of a groin tweak, a team spokesman said. Kozlov was skating on the top line with Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov, and the Caps were forced to scramble their forward lines for the rest of the contest. Boudreau said the injury is minor and called it a precautionary move.
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